It's amazing that Universal's coverage of FDR's first inaugural skipped that most famous part of his speech - "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself". Perhaps this was because Universal's best money making films of the era were meant to scare people - Frankenstein, Dracula, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, etc. Perhaps they did not want their viewers to think that those movies weren't anything to fear....

This lively newsreel documents the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt as president. It starts with self-congratulatory crowing about how Universal Newsreels uses an airplane to deliver the film footage, so that it will be up-to-the-minute. Then we get to see the newly elected FDR and former President Hoover riding to the capitol together, and FDRâs inaugural address, in which he asserts that if Congress fails to cooperate with his policies, he wonât hesitate to ask for executive powers similar to those given the president in wartime. It shows how desperate things were that this didnât frighten people. Then we get to see the inaugural procession down Pennsylvania Avenue. This newsreel has a great deal of historical value, both in documenting Rooseveltâs inauguration, and giving us a taste of what it was like before TV news documented everything instantaneously.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.